When a bid by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation to transform a Venice customs building into a new contemporary art museum was deemed incomplete, French billionaire François Pinault was chosen to complete the task. Because the Guggenheim proposal did not contain a list of works intended for the proposed Punta della Dogana's permanent collection, it was removed from consideration. Pinault — who owns Christie's, is France's wealthiest art collector, and already helms the Palazzo Grassi on Venice's Grand Canal — provided Venice City Hall with a list of 141 works that would be in the new center's collection over a 30-year period. Located in the heart of the city, the future museum site is a 17th-century building that appears in paintings by Canaletto, Guardi, and Turner. Japanese architect Tadao Ando is set to design the new museum, and Pinault has pledged $27-40 million to the new project, slated to open in June 2009.